Palestinians Keen to Develop Gaza Marine Field in Spite of Israeli Objection

A picture taken after signing the gas agreement in Gaza, in the presence of Palestinian President Abbas and the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum. (dpa)
A picture taken after signing the gas agreement in Gaza, in the presence of Palestinian President Abbas and the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum. (dpa)
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Palestinians Keen to Develop Gaza Marine Field in Spite of Israeli Objection

A picture taken after signing the gas agreement in Gaza, in the presence of Palestinian President Abbas and the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum. (dpa)
A picture taken after signing the gas agreement in Gaza, in the presence of Palestinian President Abbas and the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum. (dpa)

Palestinians are hopeful that direct Egyptian intervention will allow them to develop the Gaza Strip’s offshore gas field after years of Israeli objections, which have obstructed any agreements.

Attempts to extract gas have always faltered due to the Israeli intransigence, senior adviser to President Mahmoud Abbas on economic affairs Mohammad Mustafa told reporters in Ramallah.

However, the Palestinian authorities are currently coordinating with Egypt to resolve this challenge, he stressed, affirming that the Palestinians are trying to benefit from Cairo’s efforts and regional relations to extract the gas “as soon as possible.”

His made his remarks a day after Palestine signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Egypt to develop the infrastructure of the Gaza Marine Gas Field.

Chair of the state-owned Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) Magdy Galal and Mustafa signed the MoU, in the presence of Abbas and Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El Molla.

The gas field located off the coast of Gaza is one of the major national resources Palestine has always strived to control, extract and use in the fields of energy, electricity and industry, Mustafa explained.

He pointed out that EGAS will cooperate with the Palestinian Authority (PA) to reach an agreement that ultimately leads to the extraction of gas, its transfer to Palestinian areas and possibly sell it to Egypt.

Egypt’s developed infrastructure and the availability of factories and necessary equipment “will make it easy to deliver gas to Egyptian territory through short pipelines and then export it abroad.”

The British Gas Group (BG Group) and the Consolidated Contractors Limited (CCC) discovered the field in 2000.

The Gaza Marine-1 (GM-1) exploration well was drilled in September 2000 at a water depth of 603 meters, followed by the Gaza Marine-2 (GM-2) well, located approximately five kilometers southwest of GM-1, at a water depth of 535 meters. Reserves were estimated in excess of one trillion cubic feet.

Prime Minister Mohamed Shtayyeh welcomed the signing of the MoU and pointed out that “the technical team has been ordered to supply the Strip with our gas that will be developed by Egypt, not Israel.”



Thomas Barrack: Syria’s Joining Abraham Accords ‘Could Take Time’

HANDOUT - 19 June 2025, Lebanon, Beirut: US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during a press conference in Beirut. Photo: Hassan Ibrahim/Lebanese Parliament/dpa
HANDOUT - 19 June 2025, Lebanon, Beirut: US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during a press conference in Beirut. Photo: Hassan Ibrahim/Lebanese Parliament/dpa
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Thomas Barrack: Syria’s Joining Abraham Accords ‘Could Take Time’

HANDOUT - 19 June 2025, Lebanon, Beirut: US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during a press conference in Beirut. Photo: Hassan Ibrahim/Lebanese Parliament/dpa
HANDOUT - 19 June 2025, Lebanon, Beirut: US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during a press conference in Beirut. Photo: Hassan Ibrahim/Lebanese Parliament/dpa

Syria and Israel are engaged in “meaningful” talks through the United States that aim to restore calm along their border, according to Thomas Barrack, US President Donald Trump’s envoy to Syria.

Barrack said in an interview with The New York Times on Thursday that the administration wanted Syria to join the Abraham Accords, but “this could take time” because Syria’s new President Ahmed al-Sharaa could face resistance at home.

“He cannot be seen by his own people to be forced or coerced into the Abraham Accords,” Barrack said. “So he has to work slowly.”

Trump tapped Barrack, an old friend and private equity investor, to help realize his vision for the Middle East, which the administration hopes will foster less conflict and more prosperity.

Trump made clear during his Mideast visit in May that lucrative business deals in sectors including arms and artificial intelligence were his priority, and his decision to bomb nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran last month showed his support for Israel and willingness to use force against American foes.

Barrack called the US administration’s approach a departure from previous “failed” American attempts at “nation building” and from past efforts to shape how other governments rule.

Much of Barrack’s work has focused on pushing Syria and Lebanon, both recovering from destructive wars, toward solving their own problems while rallying support from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and other regional partners.

It is unclear whether Trump’s focus on prioritizing economic development over vocal support for democracy will fare better than the efforts of previous administrations to address some of the Middle East’s most bedeviling problems, according to The New York Times.

Barrack, in his first diplomatic job at age 78, has been working his relationships with heads of state and other power brokers. He said that having a direct line to the White House and to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the fact that the administration had “little patience for the region’s resistance to helping itself,” had helped.

Much of Barrack’s effort has focused on Syria, where the fledgling government of al-Sharaa is trying to rebuild the country after a 13-year civil war.

Trump signed an executive order this week aimed at ending decades of US sanctions on Syria.

Barrack said that instead of making strict demands, the administration had laid out objectives for the Syrian government to work toward while Washington monitored its progress.

Those indications would include finding a peaceful accommodation with Israel; integrating the US-backed, Kurdish-led militia that controls Syria’s northeast; and investigating the fates of Americans who went missing during the war.

Progress on democratization and inclusive government will not happen quickly, Barrack said, and are not part of the US criteria.

American officials have expressed concerns about the thousands of fighters who came to Syria from abroad to take part in the war, mostly as part of militant groups.

Barrack said Washington realized that Syria could not expel those who remained and that they could pose a threat to the new government if they were excluded. So the Trump administration instead expects transparency about the roles they are given.

Lifting sanctions to encourage changes worked better than keeping them in place until Syria met specific demands, Barrack said.

“It is a brilliant way to accomplish the same thing, and these roll-on, roll-off sanctions have never worked anyway,” he said.

The new Syrian government’s relations have been tense with Israel, whose military has moved into southern Syria and often carried out operations there. The talks aim to quiet the conflict along the border while laying the groundwork for better relations.